THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches Into Space for Final Time on STS-135 Mission from Kennedy Space Center
By Zach Clark // July 8, 2025
STS-135 was the 33rd flight of Atlantis and final mission of the Space Shuttle program
ABOVE VIDEO: Space shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson and crewmates Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim are on their way to the International Space Station after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 11:29 a.m. EDT on Friday, July 8. STS-135 is the final mission of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – On July 8, 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis launched into space for the last time on the STS-135 mission from Kennedy Space Center.
It was the 135th and final mission of the Space Shuttle program.
STS-135 was the 33rd flight of Atlantis, as well as the 135th and final mission of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, focused on delivering critical supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.
With a merging of technology and tears, the final chapter in the 30-year history of space shuttle flights has been written.
For all who have worked to send these first-of-a-kind engineering marvels to space and return them to Earth, all who have flown aboard them, and all who have simply watched with awe and pride as they flew, space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-135 mission was an emotional end of an era.
CLICK HERE to read more about the details and significance of this mission.
